Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF)
Christine Lagarde was born in Paris in 1956. After graduating from high school in Le Havre, she studied at the Holton-Arms School in Bethesda, Maryland and, after returning to France, completed a degree in social law. She obtained an MA in English at the Institut d'études politiques d'Aix-en-Provence, a Master of Business Law and a Diploma in Labour Law at the University of Paris X-Nanterre. In 1981, Lagarde joined the Paris office of the law firm Baker & McKenzie as a lawyer. She was President of the Executive Committee from 1999 to 2004 and Chair of Baker & McKenzie's Global Strategy Committee in Chicago from 2004. From June 2005 to May 2007, Christine Lagarde was Associate Minister for Foreign Trade and in June 2007, she became the first female Minister of Economy and Finance of a G7 country. She has been a member of the French Legion of Honour since 2000 and has been Managing Director of the IMF since July 2011. Christine Lagarde is the mother of two sons and a former member of the French national synchronised swimming team.
Monday, 07. May 2012, 18:15 – 20:00 h
At the University of Zurich, Rämistrasse 71, 8006 Zurich, KOH-B-10
Strong, more sustained, balanced and inclusive growth is within our grasp. It is for us to choose the right combination of policies and walk resolutely the path together. This is not the time for short-termism or insularity.
Switzerland is a country that shows how stability goes hand-in-hand with growth, how fiscal decentralization goes hand-in-hand with monetary union, and how financial sector success goes hand-in-hand with strong oversight. It is a country that shows how cooperation with its neighbors can benefit all.